{"id":17108,"date":"2014-11-17T13:12:30","date_gmt":"2014-11-17T13:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-the-jazz-june-after-the-earthquake\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:16:21","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:16:21","slug":"album-review-the-jazz-june-after-the-earthquake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-the-jazz-june-after-the-earthquake\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: The Jazz June – After The Earthquake"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\u201cThose radio days came and went and left us behind,\u201d<\/em> sings The Jazz June<\/strong>\u2019s Andrew Low on \u2018Nothing To See Here\u2019<\/em>. If ever a band displayed a heightened level of self-awareness, this is it. <\/p>\n

Formed in the mid-90s and part of the same underground scene that birthed Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids, Braid and The Promise Ring, The Jazz June<\/strong> were somewhat ignored during the emo major label killing fields of 1999-2002, left instead to release critically-adored albums such as \u2018The Medicine\u2019 under the radar. The radio days did indeed come and go, but The Jazz June<\/strong> were somewhat lost in the static. <\/p>\n

Fast forward 12 years though, and \u2018After The Earthquake\u2019<\/em> is one of the most unexpected \u2013 and triumphant \u2013 returns of an emo revival that shows little evidence of slowing down. The bitter irony being if \u2018After the Earthquake\u2019<\/em> was released a decade earlier it would have been heralded a touchstone of the emo explosion. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Perhaps the boldest move by The Jazz June<\/strong> is to come back with a sound that has plenty in common with their previous output but which is also resolutely forward looking. The angular edges have sufficiently softened, the sound is full and engaging, and the challenging elements \u2013 the obtuse time changes, the heavy percussion and the serpentine song structures \u2013 have all been stripped right back. Instead, \u2018After The Earthquake\u2019<\/em> is an album which shows the flourishes and character of their sound but which is, in truth, much more straightforward indie rock \u2013 and it\u2019s the best they\u2019ve ever sounded. <\/p>\n

Take the aforementioned \u2018Nothing To See Here\u2019<\/em>. There\u2019s a crazy, wobbly and frazzled guitar line that runs throughout, but stays clearly in the background. A decade ago, that would\u2019ve been pushed to the fore with the melody \u2013 and it is a glorious melody \u2013 left to fight for attention. It\u2019s a subtle shift but it works superbly. <\/p>\n

Indeed, right from the first beat of opener \u2018Over Underground\u2019<\/em> (which debuted earlier this year on their split with those duded in Dikembe) you can see this new emphasis on melody and song structure. A svelte 3 minutes, it\u2019s as traditional a pop song as you can imagine. And it\u2019s bloomin\u2019 fabulous. The bridge sounds like it\u2019s come from late 80s Manchester and is only a gladiolus short of a Morrissey hipshake, but by God, it\u2019s easily one of the best opening tracks of the year. <\/p>\n

And in many ways, these short, sharp pop songs are the real gems in \u2018After The Earthquake\u2019<\/em>. \u2018With Honors\u2019<\/em>, despite it\u2019s somewhat miserable tone, is an enjoyable toe-tapper while \u2018It Came Back\u2019<\/em> could sit on any of the mid-career Promise Ring records (or any of the early Band of Horses records, which perhaps again shows the more straight-up rock influence which runs throughout \u2018After The Earthquake\u2019). You can even forgive \u2018Stuck On Repeat\u2019<\/em> for sounding like Cameo\u2019s \u2018Word Up\u2019 due to it delivering a much needed change of pace and a rollicking, rolling drumbeat. <\/p>\n

Elsewhere \u2018Ain\u2019t It Strange\u2019<\/em> keeps things interesting with another widdly guitar line, although the song itself is pure left-field indie rock (and does have a rather haunting backing vocal), while the title track sees an element of American seeping in to their sound.<\/p>\n

Considering the other feted reunions in the genre, it\u2019s somewhat funny to think that one of emo\u2019s lesser heralded bands have delivered the finest return of the year. Yet by coming up with something that is both classic and forward thinking \u2013 while still displaying their quirky nature \u2013 The Jazz June<\/strong> have succeeded in finally pulling up a chair at the top table.<\/p>\n

4.5\/5<\/p>\n

‘After The Earthquake’<\/em> by The Jazz June<\/strong> is out now on Topshelf Records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Jazz June<\/strong> links: Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Mair (@bobnightmair<\/a>
\n)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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